17HMR's seem to be wicked accurate, right out of the box--regardless of who makes 'em. 17HM2 seems to be right up there too.
But what are your goals? Paperpunching, or dealing with pets? If it's paper punching, you can never go wrong with 22lr. While not the best idea you can go out to 200+ yards (but you'd better be really good!). You might prefer to go with bolt action 22. Past 50 yards or so, 22lr is more accurate (typically) with standard velocity. High velocity rounds are required to break in a new semi-auto; and may be required afterwards for reliable operation.
Also, a bolt action can (typically) handle 22 shorts also. Not that it's a big reason, but some people like 22 short also. Me, I like to shoot 22 CB shorts once in a while, as it's more quiet than my pellet gun!
Lever actions can be fun. As are pumps. Me, I have a Remington 572 Fieldmaster pump; I found I don't care for the "loose" forend. Also, I have read that lever actions tend not to be as accurate as their bolt counterparts; does that matter at 100yards? I guess it depends. If you are shooting off-hand, probably not. Benchrest, most likely.
The gun I like to shoot most is my bolt action 22. It did not come with the mag, so it's a single shot. But I never have to mess with loading a mag; since I have to lower the gun in order to reload, my arms always get a rest after a shot. Which means it's not as tiring as one would think. Finally, it's a nice built in deterent to blasting through loads and loads of ammo (nothing is cheap these days!).
Have you hit up the gun shops? You might luck out and get something for a lot less than brand new. Also, even if you are into reloading, odds are you'll not get as cheap as 22lr.
